Exam 2

Question 1

What are the key differences and similarities between Homospory and Heterospory. Recall that most
early land plants are Homosporous and there was an evolutionary revolution in reproduction within the
seedless vascular plants which lead to Heterospory to become the rule among land plants like
Gymnosperms and Angiosperms later.

Question 2

As adaptations, why did land plants develop seeds and pollen? In other words, how are seeds and
pollen adaptations to deal with environmental challenges in the evolution of later land plant groups like
Gymnosperms and Angiosperms? What is the compound sporopollenin, where do you find this
substance in plants, why?

Question 3

Describe the features and a generalized life cycle of a Gymnosperm. What does the word
Gymnosperm mean literally? Why is this a good word to describe Gymnosperms? Common names of
members of this group include: Cycads, Gingkos, Gnetopytes, and Conifers. You do not need to
include all members as examples.

Question 4

Describe the features and a generalized life cycle of an Angiosperm. Why were flowers and fruits key adaptations for Angiosperms? Evolutionarily, what occurred over time, simultaneously, between Angiosperms and the species of animals that pollinated their flowers, ate their fruits, and dispersed their
seeds? Common names of the major groups of Angiosperms include: Monocots and Eudicots. You do
not need to include all members as examples.

Question 5

Generalize about anatomical differences between the two largest groups of Angiosperms—the Monocots and the Euditcots. See Figure 30.16 for an excellent summary.